The American Water Works Association Research Foundation (AwwaRF) and Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) co-funded a research project titled “Succession Planning for a Vital Workforce in the Information Age.” This study began in January 2003. This study was driven
by a number of diverse factors, including: The demographics of the current workforce which is expected to result in the loss of sizeable numbers of senior employees during the next 10 years;The changing
nature of the new, replacement workforce;The changing training needs for new employees as our utility plants become more and more automated; andPoor preparedness of existing utilities with respect to knowledge
management, succession planning and retention.While water utilities in general must address the issues associated with the changing workforce, the wastewater field is particularly prone to the loss of knowledge as many employment and service tenures coincide
with the promulgation of the Clean Water Act in 1972 establishing the basis for the upgraded/expanded treatment plants that followed in the 1970's and 1980's. Based on brief introductions of the FCSA participants at the kickoff meeting, it was apparent the average age of the pilot study group
met or exceeded the industry age statistics. In one key operational area, all three FCSA employees were in their mid to late 50's and within several years of retirement.An approach to capturing important tacit knowledge within a short time frame was developed and The Frederick County Sanitation
Authority (FCSA) contributed to the research effort by conducting a knowledge process mapping pilot study with the help of members of the AwwaRF research team. The AwwaRF/WERF project developed a “Knowledge Capture” methodology -the first such demonstration in the water and wastewater
utility industry.The two primary objectives of the pilot study exercise were to map the critical resources and knowledge, and to identify the flow of work that directly adds value or addresses critical operating parameters. This second objective would increase in importance as the knowledge
capture exercises were conducted. The exercises revealed secondary benefits to the Authority not directly related to the tacit knowledge sought during the pilot.

No Reference information available - sign in for access.

No Citation information available - sign in for access.

No Supplementary Data.

No Article Media

No Metrics

Document Type: Research Article

Publication date: 2005-01-01

More about this publication?

Proceedings of the Water Environment Federation is an archive of papers published in the proceedings of the annual Water Environment Federation® Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC® ) and specialty conferences held since the year 2000. These proceedings are not peer reviewed. A subscription to the Proceedings of the Water Environment Federation includes access to most papers presented at the annual WEF Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC) and other conferences held since 2000. Subscription access begins 12 months after the event and is valid for 12 months from month of purchase. A subscription to the Proceedings of the Water Environment Federation is included in Water Environment Federation (WEF) membership.

WEF Members: Sign in (right panel) with your IngentaConnect user name and password to receive complimentary access. Access begins 12 months after the conference or event